In a nondescript village that could be found anywhere in the Central Plains, the Village Chief of Bukmang Village swallowed dryly, sensing the ominous atmosphere of the approaching bandits.
It wasn’t just the Village Chief who felt it; a guy nearby muttered with an anxious expression.
“The vibe is… off…”
“Hey now! That’s ominous talk! I’m sure nothing will happen.”
The power of the Huang Nation had long since plummeted, allowing bandits to run rampant in the world, and ordinary villages like Bukmang had no choice but to pay tributes and struggle to survive under the bandits’ tyranny.
The Village Chief looked at the stacked tributes at the center of the village and gulped down his worries.
Fortunately, this time the tributes were decently prepared; surely they could get through this without a hitch.
With that thought, the Village Chief forced a smile as the bandits drew near.
“Welcome, my lords! I’ve prepared the tributes for you to spare yourself the trouble!”
Usually, the bandits would be pleased to have less work, but not a single one of them smiled.
“The tributes are insufficient.”
“What…? No, that’s not true! I’m sure…!”
“Alright, lads! Search the place thoroughly!”
“Yes!”
As if they had been waiting for this cue, the bandits scattered and barged into the houses. Hearing the screams of the villagers hiding in their homes, the Village Chief grabbed the pant leg of the head bandit in desperation.
“Oh no! My lord! Please spare me! If you tell me what I did wrong, I’ll fix it!”
“Hmm.”
Seeing the Chief begging, the head bandit opened his mouth with a grunt.
“Village Chief, is it not thanks to us that Bukmang Village could survive in this chaotic world?”
Though the Chief wanted to spit out a curse at the audacity of these bandits just here to plunder wealth, he could not do so.
They were armed men, after all.
“Of course, of course! It’s under your protection that Bukmang Village exists!”
“Right, the Village Chief knows well. Our presence has allowed Bukmang Village to endure, so all its assets now belong to us. We’re just here to take back what is ours.”
The Village Chief stared at the Head Bandit with his mouth agape.
“You must have heard of the Blood Sect, right? Hahaha! Our great Hongbin Corps has joined hands with the Blood Sect to stir up the world. To carry out grand deeds, one needs funds, does one not? Hahaha!!”
As the Village Chief’s grip on the Head Bandit’s leg weakened, despair washed over him.
So they planned to clean out this place, leaving even the roots of Bukmang Village bare.
“Not that! We need the seeds for next year’s planting!”
“It’s an heirloom from my parents! Please!”
“Hehe! What do I care!”
Amid the sounds of things breaking and mourning cries, the Village Chief lowered his head in despair.
No matter how hard he tried to survive, it was obvious he was nothing but a flimsy resistance against the fickle whims of armed men.
Just when the Village Chief was wallowing in despair as the bandits’ pillaging reached its peak.
“Ahhhh!”
A panicked scream echoed across Bukmang Village as two people stumbled forth, clutching their wounds. The Head Bandit’s eyebrows twitched.
Was there a martial artist?
“It’s the author!”
A figure clad in a black robe approached.
The Head Bandit’s eyebrows twitched again. Though he wore a black robe, he couldn’t hide the long, white beard; clearly, he was an old man.
“Village Chief, do you know him?”
The Village Chief hesitated to answer as the Head Bandit drew his weapon close to the Chief’s neck. Under this threat, the Chief had no choice but to respond.
“W-well, occasionally… he comes to buy food.”
He was someone who acted without hesitation in the midst of chaos. Only someone confident in their martial arts could behave that way.
Could he be a reclusive Qi Person?
The Head Bandit smiled to himself upon this thought, feeling pleased.
It was good to be affiliated with the Blood Sect.
If he hadn’t allied with the Blood Sect, he would have likely lost his life when confronted with such a troublesome expert.
“I don’t know what kind of expert you are, but how about you head on your way? Our Hongbin Corps is allied with the Blood Sect.”
“Blood Sect?”
The old man reacted to the mention of the Blood Sect. The Head Bandit swallowed hard at the intensity of the old man’s gaze. How could someone have such a piercing look?
The Head Bandit’s words came out rapidly.
“Yes! The Blood Sect! Even if you’re reclusive, you’ve surely heard about the Blood Sect and the entities it controls. No expert can stand alone against an entity! You must keep this in mind!”
But the old man didn’t seem to flinch at the Head Bandit’s words. Feeling threatened by the old man’s decisive approach, the Head Bandit poured out more words.
“This isn’t a joke! If you harm us, the Blood Sect’s retribution will follow!”
“Indeed. I heard about your Hongbin Corps.”
The old man stared at the sweating leader of the bandits, conjuring thoughts of the current state of the world.
The Sacheon Righteous Faction and the Outcast Faction had clashed large-scale battles time and time again, washing the land in blood.
Chaos was not limited to the Martial World.
Yoo Gyeong, who lost Yuya, was furious and sought to wipe out the Outcast Faction. No, she attempted to wipe out the entire Martial World.
In the end, those linked to Sadoryeon were annihilated without leaving a single stone behind.
However, Yoo Gyeong’s frenzied actions sparked numerous problems.
The chaos and the losses from the annihilation of Sadoryeon shook the order of the Huang Nation and the Martial World.
The officials began intervening in the Martial World, leading martial artists to become involved in official concerns.
Soldiers began to round up everyone with weapons, and even the renowned Righteous Factions were swayed by the powerful repression. Martial Artists fled to the outskirts or banded together, declaring themselves kings of a new nation, raising the banner of rebellion.
In that process, the outskirts suffered losses, or bared their fangs at the Huang Nation and the Martial World.
Righteous Factions, Outcast Factions, Huang Nation, and outskirts.
The world had become a battleground where many squabbled for their own reasons.
Amid this turmoil, the Blood Sect was rising in power.
It seemed that the Blood Sect, leading the entities, might conquer the world, but the Martial Forest Alliance thwarted that plan by successfully executing an assassination on the Blood Ancestor.
While the Martial Forest Alliance succeeded in eliminating the Blood Ancestor, they could scarcely afford to restore the order of the world.
Having endured the Huang Imperial Family’s pressure for so long, they had exhausted much of their strength.
The scattered forces of the Blood Sect across the world had lost their focal point and ran amok wildly.
Thus, chaos reached a peak, the Outcast Faction and bandits flourished, and the groans of the world’s populace continued.
One could only describe the state of the world as apocalyptic.
As he witnessed a portion of this apocalypse, the old man, Ho Cheon-an, thought.
Another task bestowed upon him by his other self, a resurrection.
To achieve this, he told himself he must move his old body diligently.
Swoosh!
The eyes of the bandits widened.
Suddenly, stones floated in the air.
“H-how… in the air…”
The Head Bandit, stuttering in amazement, couldn’t finish his sentence.
Clack, clack, clack!
Surrounding the old man, dozens of stones hovered in the air. He was so stunned he couldn’t even utter a word.
The Village Chief and the residents of Bukmang Village also gaped at the overwhelming spectacle in awe.
“Run…!”
One of the bandits screamed as he pulled back, but it was already too late.
Whoosh!
The dozens of stones hurtled toward the bandits.
Bam!
“Ahhh!”
“Uagh!”
“Ugh!”
The residents of Bukmang Village watched in disbelief as the bandit crowd that had plundered them for so long fell down with a mere gesture.
Those bandits who were startled and rushed out only to be struck by rocks as soon as they exited, and even those who had hidden away couldn’t escape the oncoming stones.
Stones curved in peculiar angles, striking the bandits lurking like ghosts.
In an instant, the old man subdued all the bandits and spoke to the fallen Head Bandit.
“Guide me.”
“W-what? Huh?”
“Lead me to where the remnants of the Blood Sect are.”
Ho Cheon-an, the old man, said to the dazed Head Bandit.
“If you don’t get up right now, I’ll make you incapable of getting up for the rest of your life.”
Crack!
Seeing the glimmering Qi in Ho Cheon-an’s hand, the Head Bandit and the bandits turned pale and stood up immediately.
Ho Cheon-an dragged out those bandits who were hiding or feigning unconsciousness, raising his voice.
“There are countless matters to set right for my resurrection. If you don’t hurry, I won’t deal with you nicely.”
…Nicely?
Was that what one called beating someone to the brink of breaking their bones?
Then what would it be like when he truly put his hands to work?
“Of course! I will guide you!”
Terrified, the bandits trembled as they rushed out.
Ho Cheon-an walked leisurely with his hands behind his back.
Swoosh!
With movements as if strolling, he was more than fast enough to keep pace with the desperately fleeing bandits.
“I see your feet now. It seems you take my words lightly?”
“Th-that’s…! Ahh!”
A bandit rolling on the ground was struck in the back by a stone.
“Haha, I told you it was slow, yet here you are languishing on the ground. I must punish you.”
Stones rained down indiscriminately, and the bandits rolling on the ground wept as they desperately tried to get back up and flee.
“You too can see your feet now.”
“Aah!”
The guys getting smashed with stones fled desperately.
The residents of Bukmang Village watched the farce, dumbfounded.
“What on earth…?”
As the astonished Village Chief finally realized they were saved when Ho Cheon-an and the bandits faded into the distance.
“Thank you, Elder…”
The Village Chief and the villagers bowed their heads in gratitude in the direction where Ho Cheon-an had disappeared.
Days later, he would be called Thunder Name Zhonja.
Thus, the beginning of his resurrection started.
